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Whether you are a band searching for a venue to play at or just an avid fan looking for shows that are close to you, here is a breakdown of venues that are located in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Waiting Room:

Address: 6212 Maple Street Omaha, NE: Map
Ticket Information: Information for tickets
Line-up: Waiting Room Line-up and events History of Venue: The Waiting Room was opened by Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson who created One Percent Productions, an Omaha-based booking company. The venue is four years old and has been recently renovated with new sound and light equipment.
Why you want to play here: Great sound system and lights, medium-sized intimate venue that is capable of being filled.
Why you don’t want to play here: As great as the venue is, the owners and employees are the complete opposite.
Why you want to see a show here: Great sound and lighting. This is a medium-sized venue and you will have a great chance to interact with the bands and performers. There are great drink specials and some of the staff is friendly.
Why you don’t want to see a show here: Some of the employees are rude and will kick you out
All ages show policy: Information and form
Overall review: ★★★✰✰

The Slowdown:

Address: 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE 68102 (402.345.7569) Map Ticket Information: Information for tickets
Line-up: Event and Line-up
History of Venue: Complete history and complete list of all events (Very impressive website)
Why you want to play here: It’s the newest venue in town. It has sound and lighting that is above excellent. The owners and employees are friendly. There are two stages that you can play on depending how many tickets you expect to sell. There is a small stage that local bands usually play on and there is a wall that will slide and open up a large venue that is closed off unless being used. There is an amazing balcony that opens up as well and the stage is large enough for acts like Of Montreal who have elaborate stage settings. This is probably the best place to get a gig at in Omaha. Booking information is referred to Val Nelson.
Why you don’t want to play here: If you find a reason, let me know.
Why you want to see a show here: The best bands in town play shows here. There are more regional and national acts. The location is a quick taxi cab ride from any downtown location. The sound and lighting will amaze you.
Why you don’t want to see a show here: There is no reason, just remember to bring a valid ID. They are sticklers about IDs, but aren’t all venues in town?
All ages show policy: Information and form
Overall review: ★★★★★

The Hole:

Address:6005 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68104 (Enter through alley)
Ticket Information: Ticket Information
Line-up: Event and Line-up History of Venue: the Hole began as the brain child of Donny Diederich, former pro skater and owner of Convicted Skate Shop. The Hole is an all ages venue that, unlike other all ages venues in Omaha, doesn’t have to abide by the Omaha city ordinance which states that “any person under the age of 18 must have a notarized permission slip from their parents to attend shows”. This is because the Hole DOES NOT serve alcohol and we strictly enforce a NO ALCOHOL/DRUGS rule! If you bring alcohol or drugs into the Hole you will be asked to leave and perhaps banned from coming to future events. The Hole believes that music is a wonderful gift that people should be able to enjoy, no matter your age! The Hole is a DIY collaboration of like-minded individuals that strive to maintain a safe and enjoyable venue for bands and fans of all ages to enjoy!
Why you want to play here: People always show up and have a good time!
Why you don’t want to play here: It’s a small venue with rudimentary equipment and lighting.
Why you want to see a show here: It’s a fun place with a wide audience.
Why you don’t want to see a show here: You will feel old even though you aren’t. With an all ages policy, there are middle school aged kids here. Hello high school flashbacks! Be prepared.
All ages show policy: Everyone is welcome, no permission slip needed.
Overall review: ★★★★✰

The Sokol and Sokol Underground:

Address: 2234 S. 13th St. Omaha, NE 68108 (Driving Instructions)Ticket Information:Tickets are sold at Homer’s Music
Line-up: Event and Line-up
History of Venue: Interesting article on the history of the Sokol Auditorium.
Why you want to play here: There are two venues the Auditorium and the Underground. Both venues offer a different “feel”. The Auditorium is for acts that will gather a large crowd. There is a balcony and separate room for merchandise tables. The Underground is smaller and dingy, but a good kind of dingy, the kind of dingy a music venue is supposed to have.
Why you don’t want to play here: Some people won’t go to a show here because of the neighborhood that it is located in.
Why you want to see a show here: There are amazing bands that come and the place is always packed. It’s fun to be in the middle of a crowd and feel other people’s sweat, this is how music is supposed to be enjoyed. However, if you don’t like being in the crowd you have the option to arrive early and watch the band from the balcony. There are even benches on the balcony that you can sit on. However, if you use them I would have to consider you a wallflower.
Why you don’t want to see a show here: The parking is a little tough, but just arrive early and it shouldn’t be that big of an ordeal. Don’t leave anything valuable in your car, your windows could get smashed out. Take a taxi if you can.
Overall review: ★★★★★

If you have any specific questions about the venues or booking then just send me a comment. I am more than willing to answer any questions that you may have.

Glassjaw? Who is that? What is that? Is it a man, monster, myth, legend? Well obviously it’s all of the above. I’ve been a huge fan of Glassjaw for years and shit myself when I found out that they had a show scheduled for none other than the Sokol Underground (everyone’s old stomping ground). It was an awesome show. There’s really not much more that I can say. I was excited to be back at the Sokol Underground listening to a band that I loved from years ago. It was very nostalgic.

I haven’t seen or heard much from this band for a long while, but I still love them. Coyote Bones started in 2006 and has been road tripping since. This band had originally formed to see friends and place music for them. Coyote Bones then turned into a full fledged band that’s been recording and touring ever since. Their sounds are/were always evolving, the live show just kept getting better and better, and then they disappeared. I feel the need to feature them because I miss seeing them live. Their shows and music are very heartfelt, and they are the nicest people in the world. I wonder where they vanished to?
Some bands that have influenced their sound are, of course, The Faint, Tilly and the Wall and other favorite locals such as Connor Oberst.
As far as I know they have no new shows coming up and I couldn’t even tell you the band members names because I can’t find any information about them anywhere. If you know anything about them, send me a comment.
So checkout their videos and dance!:

My favorite band of all time is The Goodlife, and since life isn’t that awesome right now, I’ve been listening to way too much of them. They are awesome, purely, insanely, and beautifully talented musical geniuses. If I’m ever feeling down, pissed off, or over-joyously happy, this is the band that I listen to. However, I can only listen to The Goodlife when I’m emotionally distraught or ecstatic. I think that this is because the lyrics are so heart-wrenching, displaying mixed emotions with vicious, heart-battering detail. I guess I can relate to the lyrics when I’m upset and get some kind of twisted joy while listening to them when I’m happy, but who knows.

The Goodlife consists of: Tim Kasher (vocals, guitar), Stefanie Drootin (bass), Roger Lewis (drums, and Ryan Fox (guitar, keys) and are of course signed to the infamous Indie label of Omaha, Saddle Creek. If you’re a music buff, then you probably know the name Tim Kasher. After all, he’s the third greatest human being to ever exist (next to Zeus, Stephen Hawking or myself of course) and the lead singer of Cursive.

I really like the idea behind most of The Goodlife’s music. Tim Kasher has a passion to write, which you can hear in his lyrics, and his music often is written to screen plays that he writes. The Goodlife’s last album: Help Wanted Nights, is the sound track to Kasher’s most recent screen play, that he happened to just finish in the later part of 2008.

The Goodlife’s music videos are also very entertaining. I really love how most of them are shot in Omaha, and if you’re from here, you can definitely recognize where they were shooting the music videos. If you’re also a fellow Creighton student, then checkout Heartbroke because you can see some Creighton “hot spots” such as Ted and Wally’s and Pettit’s Pastry. I wish I would have seen them filming this music video, because I would have had to of tried to talk myself into a cameo role.

The Goodlife do not often play local shows, but when they do, they are very secretive. Shows are announced just days, if not hours before stage time and tickets sell quickly. So seeing them live is a really special treat.